Sat, 27 Nov 2010, 11:10 AM Kenny, Schurman and Duplissis Northeast Titlists

By Kelly Wade Photo copyright 2010 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Jason Kenny

The Northeast Division championship chases were just as thrilling in the Super classes as they were in any other category, and as the curtains closed on the 2010 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series season, Jason Kenny reclaimed the Super Comp title, Matthew Schurman took possession of the Division 1 Super Gas championship, and Frank Duplissis Jr. finished the season at the top of the Super Street standings.

Kenny, who was the Division 1 champion in 2008, had a strong season after finishing just outside of the top 10 in 2009 in Super Comp and second in Super Gas. In addition to earning the Northeast's Super Comp crown this year, the multi-class racer from Kingston, Ont., finished sixth in the division in Super Gas, won the 9.90 category at the Allstars event at Route 66 Raceway, and recorded a final-round finish in Super Comp at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

Kenny opened up his season at the division opener at Atco Raceway and collected a couple of round wins in Super Comp and cleared out the competition in Super Gas, winning the event. He stumbled at the out-of-division race at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, but a couple of deep breaths later, Kenny was up and running, making an intense two-race charge that would later equate to the season title when he was the victor in Super Comp at the Maple Grove and Lebanon Valley Lucas Oil events. Three round wins later - two at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park and one at the final Division 7 event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway - the division gold was in the bag.

Chris DePascale

An early season match between Kenny and Chris DePascale proved to be prophetic; the decision went to Kenny in their very close final round at the Maple Grove divisional by just two-thousandths. At the end of the year, Kenny got the nod for the championship with 350 points extracted from two event triumphs and five other round wins, while DePascale's tally was 350 marks that came from the runner-up, a semifinals, a trip to the quarterfinals, and six other round wins.

Kathy Smulligan - runner-up in Englishtown - and Jeff Brooks, who finished in the final round at the out-of-division event in Atlanta, were their next closest challengers and finished the year tied at 318 points. John DiBartolomeo emerged as an early leader with his win at Atco Raceway in the division's first event of the season, but the Beaver Springs, Pa., racer was unable to capitalize on the strong start and was No. 6 in the Northeast at season's end.

Kenny rounded out his awesome year tied with Troy Coughlin Jr. for eighth in the national standings.

Matthew Schurman

After sweeping the final Lucas Oil event of the year at Atco Raceway, the Super Gas trophy was virtually in the hands of Schurman, but defending division champ Mike Sawyer went out West to Las Vegas to see about getting it back, and Schurman stayed put to watch his rival from afar. Three round wins by Sawyer weren't quite enough though, and Schurman was awarded the region's top honors with a total of 363 points to Sawyer's 360.

Not to be counted out, former champion Iggie Boicesco reeled in the win at Cecil County and stood solidly next to Schurman at Atco Raceway as they pulled to the starting line in the money round. Boicesco did Schurman a favor in the opening act when he knocked out Sawyer, and then in the money round he red-lighted by .015-second and gifted Schurman with the win in the Garden State; Boicesco's overall points total was 352 for a third-place finish. Englishtown Lucas Oil winner Tom Goldman finished fourth, and Alan Kenny, runner-up at both Lebanon Valley Dragway and the Englishtown divisional, was fifth.

Mike Sawyer

Green Brook, N.J., racer Schurman tallied more points on the national level with a win at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park over Dan Northrop and was No. 6 in the nation in his '96 Beretta when it was all said and done.

Duplissis, in his '67 Super Street Camaro instead of his dragster, proved his versatility as a driver as he wheeled his way to the Division 1 championship title. The Flanders, N.J., racer claimed a round-win in Reading at his first event of the season and then quickly became a threat as he plowed through the competition at Lebanon Valley and then tree'd Scott Steiner in the final to aid in the victory.

Another couple of round-wins were notched at the out-of-division race in Columbus, and then Duplissis was back on top again when he got the win light in the money round at Cecil County after Steve Baughman broke.

Frank Duplissis Jr. Photo copyright 2010 Jim Samuel

Duplissis went a couple of rounds at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, right about the time that James Neville was kicking it into high gear. Frank Abad and Matt Ticcony both scored early season trophies and were right there looking to surge ahead, but in the 11th hour it was Neville who made the biggest play when he decided to go West for the Division 7 closer in Las Vegas. He needed to go rounds if he had a chance at the season title, but he fell in the first round, and Duplissis was the Division 1 champion.

Division One Super Comp Top Ten Point Standings
Pos   Driver           Points Events 
1   Jason Kenny          350   8 
2   Chris DePascale      350   6 
3   Kathy Smulligan      318   8 
3   Jeff Brooks          318   7 
5   Jack Donnelly Jr     286   5 
6   John DiBartolomeo    265   6 
7   Brian Brown          264   6 
8   Thomas Slater        254   7 
9   Michael Daymude      252   5 
10  Dan Northrop         246   4 

Division One Super Gas Top Ten Point Standings
Pos   Driver           Points Events 
1   Matthew Schurman     363   6 
2   Mike Sawyer          360   8 
3   Iggie Boicesco       352   7 
4   Tom Goldman          330   7 
5   Alan Kenny           300   8 
6   Jason Kenny          298   7 
6   Tom DePascale        298   8 
8   Chuck Rothermel      286   5 
9   Tom Stalba Jr        265   8 
10  Todd Logan           234   6 

Division One Super Street Top Ten Point Standings
Pos   Driver           Points Events 
1   Frank Duplissis Jr.  351   6 
2   James Neville        343   6 
3   Frank Abad           278   5 
3   Matt Ticcony         278   6 
5   Ronald Ross          268   5 
6   Jason Lawrence       266   6 
6   Edward Brooks        266   8 
8   Don Garbinski        257   7 
9   Dave Bergfeldt       255   6 
10  Scott Steiner        245   7 

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